AIANES (Theodore Nott) H.P AU

Chapter Twelve

"Blue or yellow?" Daphne's voice breaks the silence inside the once quiet dorm room.

Astoria, who's abandoned her own dorm for the evening, Pansy, and Olympia, turn to look at her. All four girls are getting ready for Theodore's birthday lunch, but they still give the blonde their undivided attention.

Daphne scowls next to her bed, she has two dresses laid out, and the girls begin to examine with careful, judgmental eyes.

The first is a Daffodil yellow color, with a poofy, knee-length skirt and a laced, sabrina cut on the top. It's pretty and simple, but definitely not it. The Egyptian blue, on the other hand, has managed to catch everyone's attention. From the short length A-line skirt, all the way to the high neck and sheer, long sleeves. It has an intricate embroidery design with both navy and royal blue, there's even some bright silver, making it resemble the night sky and its stars.

No one hesitates with their answer.

"Blue."

Daphne furrows her eyebrows, further examining both dresses. "Really?" She doesn't sound convinced. "I thought I'd go with..."

She never gets to finish her sentence because Astoria — who wears a sleeveless, bateau cut dress in Merlot red, rises from Olympia's bed and pries the yellow gown from her sister's grip, throwing it inside her trunk and shutting it close with a loud clunk.

"You're welcome." Astoria says, earning herself a narrowed glare from Daphne, which everyone knows holds no real threat.

Olympia chuckles at the display, turning back to her dresser and straightening her hair with the wave of a hand. Only to end up tying it into a low bun with two loose strands to frame her face. She stares at her appearance with extreme detail, from her dark, long lashes that have some mascara on them, to her lips that are painted a bright crimson red. She moves to grab a hold of her jewelry box and later pulls out a simple pair of square cut emerald earrings that she is quick to clip on. She then fastens her watch and adjusts the bracelets and rings she wears on the daily, the gold glinting under the candlelights of the room.

Lastly, and more out of habit than anything, she fiddles with the golden locket on her neck, opening it briefly and smiling at the sight of her pregnant mother's smile and her godparents' tender hold on her.

Emilia Nott had light brown hair and high cheekbones, her eyes were a bright blue, not quite the same hue as Theodore's sapphire ones, but rather a Sky one, her lips were thin and her nose was coated with barely noticeable freckles. She was a glorious sight.

Meanwhile, Evan had not inherited one single trait from the Rosier bloodline other than his smile and the charismatic shape of his eyes. After all, both the shade of his hair and irises were entirely his mother's; deep, dark brown and regal-looking. Still, no one could deny he hadn't been a very handsome boy.

On the other side, Xenia, as usual, cradles her pregnant stomach with a bright smile.

Olympia thinks her mother must have been the most beautiful woman alive, with her blonde hair that was not quite Aveline's pale shade, but rather a mixture of it and the Sarantos' signature honey brown. It made her hair more golden than anything. Her eyes, on the contrary, were exactly like hers and Apollo's, a pale jade green and looking oddly feline.

The young heiress sighs once she's had enough, turning back to the mirror and letting out a satisfied hum when everything seems to be in place. Now, she can finally move towards her trunk and search for her own garment.

Across the room, Pansy asks Astoria to zip up her dress, which is a Midnight black color, with a long wrap around skirt that has a high slit on its left leg and an off-shoulder cut up top. It clings to her like a glove, and Olympia thinks the dress might as well scream 'Pansy Parkinson' in all its entirety.